You are Out of Time

Christmas Eve is Hours Away!

BUT, don’t fret … if you have NO idea what to get that special someone for Christmas – one of these might just fit the bill!

An Experience

A Shopping Trip to Tuscany or Paris with European Market Traveler!

Two of our fabulous contributors have teamed up to give you a once in a lifetime travel and shopping experience. One in Tuscany and one in Paris. Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva and Chris & Sue Ellibee of Europe Market Traveler are going to be your hosts for this unbelievable opportunity! The price is SUPER reasonable and the itinerary amazing. For more information go to European Market Traveler.

How to Buy: Call Chris and book today- Buy a Christmas Card and write in it – You are Going on a Trip!

BOOKS

For the Guy Who Has Everything- Apothecary Cocktails

Very witty and cleverly written, Warren Bobrow’s book Apothecary Cocktails: Restorative Drinks from Yesterday and Today will be almost as much fun to read as it will be to mix and drink his cocktail recipes. The PERFECT gift for anyone who entertains, but incredibly good for the guy out there who fancy himself a drink-master, bon vivant, super dooper metro-sexual or renaissance Mad Man. Buy this for the younger man who is need of learning some of the finer things in life or the elder gentleman who has seen it all. Perhaps they don’t know some of these drinks, or perhaps they do – the later, of course, might bring back some pret-ty fond memories!

Cookbook

Ottolenghi

All the rage in London, Ottolenghi boasts of its culinary roots from California, Italy and North Africa. Known, but not confined to their cakes and breads, this full recipe book will delight any cook in your life. A great addition to anyone’s culinary library!

Literary Choice

Everyone’s Talking about The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Just FYI – we didn’t read this, but based on the fact that out of 5 top reviewers, 4 of them chose this book, we thought you might want to take a look at it.

"Donna Tartt’s latest novel clocks in at an unwieldy 784 pages. The story begins with an explosion at the Metropolitan Museum that kills narrator Theo Decker’s beloved mother and results in his unlikely possession of a Dutch masterwork called The Goldfinch. Shootouts, gangsters, pillowcases, storage lockers, and the black market for art all play parts in the ensuing life of the painting in Theo’s care. With the same flair for suspense that made The Secret History (1992) such a masterpiece, The Goldfinch features the pulp of a typical bildungsroman—Theo’s dissolution into teenage delinquency and climb back out, his passionate friendship with the very funny Boris, his obsession with Pippa (a girl he first encounters minutes before the explosion)—but the painting is the novel’s secret heart. Theo’s fate hinges on the painting, and both take on depth as it steers Theo’s life. Some sentences are clunky (suddenly and meanwhile abound), metaphors are repetitive (Theo’s mother is compared to birds three times in 10 pages), and plot points are overly coincidental (as if inspired by TV), but there’s a bewitching urgency to the narration that’s impossible to resist. Theo is magnetic, perhaps because of his well-meaning criminality. The Goldfinch is a pleasure to read; with more economy to the brushstrokes, it might have been great. Agent: Amanda Urban, ICM. (Oct. 22)"

— From Publishers Weekly

Giving to Others

or

What To Give the Person Who Has Everything

Answer – Give to Others in their name Instead

Make a difference in your community like TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Some people really want for nothing, so why give them another thing they don’t need. Find their (or your) favorite organization and make a donation in their name. It’s a win/win for everyone!

The TC Friends of the Environment Foundation supports a wide range of environmental initiatives, with a primary funding focus on:

Environmental education

Urban greening and enhancing biodiversity

Energy conservation

In 2012, TD Bank Group introduced TD Forests, a program focused on paper reduction and forest protection. Through TD Forests, TD has made a commitment to reducing the amount of paper used in its North American operations by 20% by 2015. To this end, the Bank has committed to work with conservation groups over the next five years to increase the areas of protected forest habitat equal to the amount of paper the bank uses.

Keeping our environment healthy is something everyone can wrap their arms around. Log on to here donate to TD FEF.

From the Heart

“My favorite personal gift is THE LETTER,” writes author/photographer Sandra Goroff whose new book, Solitary Soul, was just published. “A number of years ago my niece, Michaela, and I made a pact. We had spent a lot of money over the years buying expensive gifts and assorted trinkets. I told her what I really wanted most from her was a letter. We would exchange letters to one another on special occasions. The letters are heartfelt, silly and/or just between the two of us. We are both artistic and have fun decorating our letters too — with ribbons, decorative doodads, faux jewels, glitter etc. These have become precious momentos — beloved far beyond any object. I love this gift idea!”

Gift Cards

x

Simple enough, right? Here are a few of our favorite sites that are fail proof. You might not be able to get the actual gift card, but you can certainly print it out! Here are direct links to Amazon, LL Bean, SPA F inder and Victoria’s Secrets!

x

from TD FEF

This post was sponsored by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation who believe that protecting the environment is an investment in our urban tree canopy